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Islamabad(Sapeher Times): Prime Minister’s announcement of major relief for electricity consumers

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is trying to give maximum relief to common people.
On public response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed his anger on the complaints related to electricity bills. The Prime Minister in the federal cabinet meeting directed the ministries to provide immediate relief on electricity bills to work on solar tube wells quickly. Also ordered.
Shahbaz Sharif said that the poor people who use 100 or 200 units of electricity, we call them protected segments, if their rates were increased, there was a protest across the country and their anger is certainly justified, but we are our partners.


He further said that in this program, first we have to stabilize the economy, so we had agreed some things with the partners, so we will benefit from these millions of consumers, 94% of which are domestic consumers. Yab will be
The Prime Minister said that the matter should be clarified, we do not speak wrongly to the nation, we are giving discount up to 200 units for 3 months in July, August, September, October, if the weather improves in October. Use is reduced.
Shehbaz Sharif further said that in these 3 months, an amount of 50 billion rupees will be spent on the common consumer and K Electric is also included, so we have taken out 50 billion rupees from our development fund. He said. That we also took care of the common man and also got the IMF on board and told them that we are going to do this, today we have allocated Rs 50 billion and 94 percent of the household consumers will get Rs 4 to Rs 7 per The unit will benefit, then the weather will change and the heat will break.
In a video released, he ordered Energy Minister Owais Ahmed Laghari to take action against officers and officials who ‘artificially add extra units’ to electricity bills. Shahbaz Sharif can be heard saying in the video. That ‘the officials who have increased one unit from 200 units have done a lot of injustice to the poor consumer. Go find out who the executioner is. Such anti-people officers and officials should be suspended and strict action should be taken.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced an energy subsidy package of Rs 50 billion for low-income households consuming less than 200 units of electricity. He said that their bills for the next three months would be Rs 4 to 7 per unit. will be calculated. About 92 percent of domestic consumers will benefit from this package.Expensive electricity is another concern for the people who are worried about the increase in heat intensity, which has forced them to reduce their consumption. However, at the end of every month during the summer, everyone gets a higher electricity bill. Remember that Pakistan’s electricity sector has undergone many changes since its inception in 1947. The country inherited a small and fragmented electricity system from British colonial rule, based mainly on hydropower generation. Over the years the government has expanded the power system by adding thermal, nuclear and renewable energy sources. However, demand for electricity has always exceeded supply, resulting in chronic power shortages and frequent blackouts. A major reform in the electricity sector was the introduction of Private Power Producers (IPPs) in 1994. The government adopted a policy to attract foreign and local investors to build and operate power plants under long-term contracts that include guaranteed tariffs and payments. This policy was successful in attracting foreign direct investment and increasing productivity in Pakistan’s energy sector. However, it also created some challenges, such as high cost of electricity, disputes over payments. Another reform was the privatization of electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) in 2005. The government has decided to sell its stake in eight DISCOs to private investors, with the aim of improving their operational and financial performance, reducing losses and enhancing service delivery. However, the privatization process faced many obstacles, such as political opposition, legal challenges, regulatory issues, and public protests. So far, only one DISCO (KESC) has been fully privatized while the rest are under partial or full government control. According to World Bank data, Pakistan’s total electricity production was 124.3 billion kilowatts, of which 64 10% of thermal sources came mainly from natural gas and oil, 27% from hydroelectric sources, 6% from nuclear sources and 3% from renewable sources mainly from wind and solar. In 2019, the country’s total electricity consumption was 106.8 billion kilowatts, of which 43 percent was used by the industrial sector, 32 percent by the residential sector, 12 percent by the commercial sector and 13 percent by other sectors. Pakistan faces several challenges in meeting its current and future electricity needs. Despite the addition of new power plants in recent years, Pakistan still faces a gap between electricity demand and supply, especially during peak hours and summer months. This gap is on an average 5 to 6 GW which causes load shedding and power outages across the country. Pakistan’s transmission and distribution system is old and inefficient resulting in high technical and non-technical losses. These losses are estimated to be around 18-20 percent of the electricity generated, which means a revenue loss of billions of rupees to the power sector. Pakistan’s power sector suffers from a chronic problem of revolving debt, which Bills due from various stakeholders in the electricity supply chain have to be collected. Revolving credit is caused by a number of factors, such as late payments by consumers, especially public sector enterprises, non-cost consideration tariffs, subsidies, inefficiency, corruption and governance issues. Revolving credit has reached Rs 2 trillion to about $12 billion, affecting the liquidity and efficiency of the power sector. Pakistan’s reliance on fossil fuels for electricity generation has adverse effects on the environment and public health. Burning natural gas and oil releases greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and climate change. The use of coal also produces harmful pollutants that cause air pollution and respiratory diseases. Apart from this, Pakistan’s water resources are also affected by the construction and operation of large dams for hydropower generation. To reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, Pakistan needs to implement the following strategies: Pakistan needs to increase its share of renewable energy sources in its energy mix. Renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal, have several advantages over conventional sources, such as low cost, low carbon emissions, indigenous availability, and job creation. Pakistan has vast potential for renewable energy development, particularly in the wind and solar energy sectors. According to an estimate, Pakistan can generate 346 gigawatts of wind and 2.9 tons of solar energy. Pakistan needs to find alternative fuels that can replace fossil fuels for power generation. Some of these fuels include natural gas hydrates, also known as methane hydrates, shale gas, coal bed methane (CBM), biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, hydrogen produced from water electrolytes or biomass gasification, and synthetic fuel coal. or produced from natural gas. Pakistan needs to improve its energy efficiency at all levels of the power system. It may be recalled that the electricity overbilling controversy came to the fore during the previous tenure of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif when he was part of the PDM alliance. The then caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is now the Home Minister, gave Nepra a mandate. An investigation was ordered.
In this investigation, according to Nepra, the most responsible were distribution companies of Multan (MAPCO) and Faisalabad (Fesco). That is, these companies had overbilled electricity from the highest number of consumers. While the report also held political appointees responsible for the illegal actions. According to the Energy Minister, last year after an inquiry by Nepra, the power bills of the consumers were adjusted and their complaints of overbilling were removed.
Nepra can give timely relief to the consumers by exercising its powers. Nepra can not only withhold money from the banks of the electricity distribution companies but also can make them in the dock along with the government for non-implementation of its orders. Instead of ensuring the rights of the consumers, NEPRA is ‘only roaming in the official circles and acquits itself by saying that it has written a letter, there is scope to give relief to the consumers and the agency’ in case of complaint is ‘adequate’. Proceeds independently and on merit
Targets of distribution companies have been affected by solar systems catering to residential and commercial electricity needs across the country, with the burden being ‘somewhat passed on to the general consumer’.
The authorities often include some important instructions with the bill which are ignored, such as at what times the rate per unit of electricity will be higher, which electrical appliances consume more electricity and air conditioners (AC). How can it be used economically?
The electricity bill is certainly often a source of concern, but if you take care of a few things, the electricity bill can be reduced.
Often parents urge children to keep unnecessary lights off and scold them unreasonably. To save electricity, you can switch off all the appliances that are not in use at the moment. For example, fans, lights, TV, computer. If you’re not using them, keep them off at all times, rather than leaving them on or on standby. Many times the bathroom or balcony lights are left on. If they are kept off, it will reduce the electricity bill considerably.
If you are not using the washing machine or iron, switch them off. If you are not using the computer or TV, put them on sleep mode or turn them off.
Energy saver bulbs or LED lights use much less energy than conventional bulbs. Where a conventional lamp uses 100 watts, an energy saver lamp consumes only 25 watts. Although these lamps are expensive in the market, they last for a long time and also reduce the electricity bill.
If we use inverter-based refrigerators, ACs and washing machines, the electricity bill can be reduced by two-thirds.
The use of AC in homes has become a norm now but if they are used carefully, it is possible to reduce the electricity bill. Always keep the AC temperature at 25 degrees Celsius or less. When it cools down to a suitable level, you can use the fan after turning it off. It is better to keep the timer on at night so that the AC turns off automatically after adequate cooling. Auto-on of the AC fan, keeping the filter clean and better insulation of the room can also help.
The electricity bill also depends on the connection and cable. If the cable is substandard and the connection is weak or shaky, it produces low voltage, which increases the bill.
If the substation in a multi-storey building is old, the bill can be even higher. These devices should be reviewed at least once a year.
Regular cleaning of AC and refrigerator filters at home can reduce electricity consumption. When cooking or reheating food at home, you can use only the oven without using the entire microwave oven. Frozen food can be defrosted in water before reheating in a microwave oven. If you do not use the hot water setting in the washing machine, this will also reduce your electricity bill.
Charges per unit increase over a few units depending on electricity usage. You should correct this part according to your local bill. You can see on your electricity bill when the per unit rate is high and when the rate is low. You can estimate the bill by looking at your electricity meter readings during the month or reduce or increase electricity usage as needed.
It is certain that if you use less units of electricity, your bill will be lower. One of the most important ways to save electricity is to use solar energy and solar panels are now seen as an investment. That is, once the house is transferred to solar by investing money, how much money can be spent
Solar energy can be used during low or high load shedding of electricity. Taking advantage of sunlight instead of turning on indoor lights during the day is a great way to reduce individual electricity consumption.
Compare bills at the end of the month so you know how much you saved each month and compared to last year.